Well, that’s that, I guess – just go ahead and give Maks Meryl her MBT and let’s be done with this. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a finale tip its hand as much as it did last night – it was made quite clear who they wanted to keep far away from the MBT (Candace), who they wanted to make the final two (Amy & Meryl), and who they ultimately want/need to win (Meryl & Maks…duh). I was rather disgusted that everyone (including Erin & the judges) seemed to jump on the ridiculous Meryl & Maks showmance bandwagon, but then again, I’m not at all surprised – I will forever remember season 18 as the season that DWTS decided to adopt the “tabloid sleaze” angle. It won’t be a pleasant memory.

And I know it’s not just me, as a jaded DWTS viewer/blogger, that was put off by last night’s show – the bf actually had a rare day off yesterday, after being tied up with a competition over the weekend, and he came over for dinner and decided to stay & watch the show. Those of you who follow me on Twitter got to hear some of his gems while watching the show last night – but for those who didn’t, I think this quote best sums up his feelings about the whole thing: “This is such a waste of my life right now.” He was appalled at the judging (“When did this bimbo ever do ballroom in her life???”), appalled at the teaching (he was especially taken aback by Mark forcefully moving Candace’s head during rehearsal – and he’s even friendly with Mark!), appalled at the choreography (“Why the hell is Maks doing contemporary? He’s a ballroom dancer!”), and was oddly disturbed by the fact that none of the pros seem to wear the proper footwear to teach in (“They could seriously hurt themselves…Argentine tango is not meant to be done in Nikes.”) He did seem rather impressed with one thing, though: how good Amy is, despite her disability. He didn’t even realize she was missing the entire lower portion of her leg until I explained her story – and then he was just floored.

Can’t say I’m terribly surprised that James just couldn’t make his way past Candace last night – I think he unfortunately had a bit of an unmemorable week last week, and Candace does seem to have some fervent fan support. Was left feeling rather puzzled by both of his dances last night – his tango felt a little bit chaotic & desperate (hello, kiss – guess everyone was trying to make a ploy for showmance votes last night), and his freestyle just felt…aimless. Guess we now know how Peta does with freestyles when she doesn’t have any outward assistance from other pros.

Gonna do things in reverse tonight – start with 3rd place and work up to the winner…

3rd place: Candace & Mark

I think the judges all but ensured that Candace will wind up in 3rd when the chips are down tonight – while I agree with most that she’s the weakest dancer left, I don’t think she’s as bad as some of the scores she was given last night. I guess I agree with her quickstep score – there still seemed to be a few frame and body contact issues, but really, it’s the finale – would it have killed them to give her just one 10? Or is she pulling in THAT many votes that they’re afraid she might overtake Amy or Darling Meryl? I just get the impression that Candace has been one variable that TPTB hadn’t planned on this season – she seems to have a lot more support than they thought she would, and that has led to some serious hosing over the weeks. As for her freestyle – I don’t think it was nearly as bad as being 8-worthy across the board. 9-worthy, maybe. I thought she connected well to the music and gave it a good effort – seemed like she was having fun out there. Sure, maybe she was a little clunky coming out of some of the lifts, but it didn’t detract from the performance THAT much. In the end, I’m left feeling a little torn on Candace: I feel bad for her, with some of the unnecessary hosing she’s gotten this season; but in the same token, I think she’s lucky to have gotten as far as she has, and should feel proud to be a finalist. I think she’s had great journey this season

Runner-up: Amy & Derek

If they gave the MBT to whoever overcame the greatest odds in order to end up in the finale, Amy & Derek would be a shoo-in, for sure. But unfortunately, there seems to be a different agenda at play this season, so I think the best these two can end up with is second place. Loved both of their routines last night – thought their salsa was a nice step-up from the one she did with Mark, and had plenty of content; and Derek STILL reigns supreme in the freestyle – I think the edge Derek has is that he’s better able to tell a story than some others with his choreography; I understood the theme and plot he was trying to convey with that routine, and he managed to still do some pretty awesome lifts and creative stuff in it. Thought the rope was genius at the end – kinda symbolized for me the journey Amy has taken on the show, and her ability to handle things that no one would ever guess she’s capable of. Of course the naysayers will claim there wasn’t enough content – what they fail to realize is that, just because she wasn’t necessarily on her feet for every single step, does not mean there “wasn’t content”; hell, I think doing that rope spin was far more difficult than any pirouette or pique Derek could have had her do on the ground. But whatever – these two have already won this season for me, and I daresay Amy has a bright future ahead

The winner: Meryl & Maks

Since the focus of this partnership all season long seems to be Maks (with Meryl as an accessory), I’ll respond in kind and make this critique about him, since I don’t think Meryl is the problem (other than the fact that she herself seems to have bought into the hype of “Maks has never won, Maks deserves to win” and is falling into step with it instead of actually standing up for herself). Meryl is going to dance whatever she’s given FLAWLESSLY. The problem is (and has been all season), that what Maks has given her has not been all that impressive. And I stand by that statement tonight, because even the redo Argentine tango he gave her (which I guess is his favorite dance) paled in comparison choreographically to what his lil bro gave her over a month ago for me. And here’s why: Maks seems to have a lot of “moments”, but isn’t quite adept at stringing them altogether to make a coherent routine. Val, on the other hand, seems to see the whole picture: he understands that a dance, like a story, needs a beginning, middle, and end, plus some fluid transitions to make it all flow together seamlessly. Plus, Val did his thing with a far more difficult song, and with a partner that he had only worked with for a few days. And then there’s the freestyle: looks like Maks’ idea of being “creative” and doing something “never before seen on DWTS” involves creating a derivative, watered-down version of a winning freestyle from a year ago and acting as if it’s something brand-new and ground-breaking. I actually don’t even think this was choreographically as strong as their rumba from a few weeks ago – and that was barely a rumba. I think if he really wanted to showcase Meryl’s abilities, he would have shunned the ooey-gooey showmance-promoting route and choreographed something more upbeat and full of both lifts and energetic dance steps. Show us how versatile she really is, instead of rehashing what we’ve already seen from her. And for Pete’s sake, do something that actually seems to illustrate her journey on DWTS. Hell, at the beginning of the season, I had envisioned some wild, celebratory freestyle to “Gypsy” by Lady Gaga (which would have even appealed to the shippers on some level, while still nodding to all the traveling she & Maks have done together this season). So given what I just said, you’ll have to forgive me when I ask “So WHY does Maks ‘deserve to win’?” He’s struggled with choreography, he’s struggled with crafting routines that showcase his partner, and he’s struggled with his own behavior. “But Courtney, it’s not about Maks – it’s about MERYL!!!!” I’m sure some of you are going to cry – to which I say “She’s an Olympic gold medal ice dancer that hasn’t been truly challenged all season long. Should she win the MBT for (no pun intended) skating through the season without much of a struggle?” I look at all the tough stuff that Amy & Charlie in particular have had thrown at them throughout the season by their respective pros – and how they’ve struggled, and toiled, and still overcome those obstacles. There’s just no comparison for me. But everyone is going to vote how they’re going to vote (and that’s fine), and I think the die has already been cast that this was “Maks’ season” from the get-go – and everyone has just kind of fallen in line with that mindset. It will be a hollow win, though, IMO – and it’s one I’m sure we’re going to be hearing about for the next 5 years, a la Donny Osmond. But whatever helps Maks (and his fans) feel validated, I guess.

So there’s my two cents. What’s yours? Just as a side note: I still do post here at PureDWTS in the off-season, but with America’s Got Talent starting up next week, you’ll probably see more of me over at Pure AGT this summer. If you’re a fan of the show, come join us! We’re a small (but entertaining) group

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

133 responses to "PureDWTS Season 18, The Finale – Power Rankings"

Court, just excellent again. And I agree about all the Maks and Meryl pimping. Why didn’t they just let us decide without all the pushing? The more they push, the more I run the other direction.

Anyway, here are my rankings and I hope it goes down like this:

1. Derek and Amy:
1st dance – This salsa took my breath away. I knew right from the beginning when the music started (one of my fave Latin dance songs), this was going to be special and they killed it. Such clever choreography and tricks. They pushed the envelope with them. I especially loved the ending move. Wow wow wow 10

Freestyle – And just when I didn’t think they could top themselves, they did once again. ABSOLUTEY MAGNIFICIENT!!! Every move and trick was so beautiful and from the heart. Omg and when she flew up into the sky at the end and started spinning, I couldn’t stop crying for her life, journey, and the message sent with it. What a heaven sent couple and dance! 10

2. Meryl and Maks:
1st dance – This was a beautiful and stunning A. Tango. You could feel the passion. However, I thought her footing was a little sloppy a few times. It was also not as powerful as when she and Val danced the A. Tango. It was still really beautiful though and that backwards jump to Maks was really cool. 9

Freestyle – I wasn’t sure I’d like this freestyle for what we heard about it before the show, but, I ended up loving it. It was emotional and full of muscle and passion. It was truly a piece of art like Bruno said. Just lovely. 10

3. Candace and Mark –
1st dance- This quickstep had some questionable footwork at times, but, they came out with lots of energy. It was fun, classy, and full of elegance. Again, she is like the sun out there no matter what. She looked beautiful too. 9

Freestyle – What a fun and funky dance. There was some shakiness, stiffness, and difficulty through out because of injuries and what not, but, again, she radiates out there. Poor Mark! I hope he’s going to be ok for tonight. I don’t know how he is able to go on….but, leave it to a Gemini to pull it off. They are relentless at making things work in any given situation. 8 One more thing and sorry to harp on this: it should be Charlie and Sharna in the finals, not these two.

Completely, 100% agree with your whole Maks paragraph. In a few years many viewers may remember Maks finally won this season, but I bet most won’t remember the celeb, since no one has really talked about her all season. ;p Even her package was all about Maks. Just pathetic how they turned this season into the “Let Maks Finally Win Comeback Tour” and ignored the professional dancer he had. I bet Meryl probably choreographed most of that freestyle herself, LOL!

I agree can we just get this over with! I loved all the couples this season and I love Meryl but if she’s so great let her be great! I believe Maks said that he would never come back unless he was paired with the winner, the producers were probably like it’s been 13 seasons let him win. I was really disgusted by last nights show , and honestly I wasn’t that impressed with any of the dances. I liked Amy and Derek’s because I’m biased and it was pretty cool! Meryl ad Maks’s was great but I wasn’t feeling it as much as the judges. My power rankings are Amy and Derek, Meryl and Maks, Candace and Mark, and James and Peta. Praying for a miracle and Amy wins!

I agree with what you wrote about Meryl and Maks Courtney. And I did like the backwards jump..probably something he tweaked from her ice skating training. Also don’t think she was truly challenged with chore and if that’s the BEST Maks can do?? Well, then he needs to retire and let the up & coming choreographers take over.

I stayed up most of the night and only got 3 hrs of sleep power voting. I’ve never voted so hard in my life. Not for Kellie and not for Amber. It’s likely a given that Meryl will be given the MBT tonight and I’ll be sad because I don’t think it was truly earned…it was headed that way all season long.

I hope Amy wins followed by Meryl and then Candace.
Heck, I’d rather see Candace win over Meryl.

I think I liked the FreeStyle Derek choreographed last night MUCH better than the one he did for Kellie…it’s my new favorite of his. Hopefully Emmy worthy

Totally agree about everything you said about Meryl and Maks. And you raise a good question. Why does Maks “deserve” to win? Simply because he’s never won before? That’s bullshit. There’s already one trophy in the DWM fam, and as far as I’m concerned, they should be thanking God that they actually got one.

And it seriously pisses me off when I see the official DWTS pages ask “Who do you want to win?!” And people respond with “Maks.” Not “Meryl & Maks” not “Meryl.” They say fucking “Maks.”

I’d love it if Amy won the show. As a kind of middle finger to the producers, to the Maksyl fans and just as a “Yes, she deserves it!” kind of situation. But I doubt she will.

I’m getting tired of the whole “MAKS deserves to win and MAKS should finally get the trophy” (*cough* forgot about Meryl very quickly didn’t cha *chough*) and maybe there is some hope left that there are more people than we think that are annoyed by this and throw their votes at either Candace or Amy.
Somehow I don’t even care that much who wins it at this point.

I bet that if you asked the viewers in a years time that they are more likely to remember Amy and her incredible story or Charlie’s cheerful smile than the winner (should MM win)
The finale (till now) has left me feeling a bit “meh” I watched it this morning and had to force myself not to skip through it lol
The opening was a tad lame too, but I think they are saving the performances for part 2 (-maybe?)

That aside I was a bit shocked when Mark handled Candace a bit more roughly and told her she was being way too dramatic. Whut. Though I had a flashback to Hope and Maks team dance rehearsal in season 13 there…
Whatever, this season has managed pissed me off even more than season 15 and 16’s ending (or rather the aftermath of the end) – and I didn’t know that that was possible.

Did you guys see the pic Derek and Amy posted on their instagrams? I thought that was quite cute. Just to be a bit positive here.
And I applaud Candace for keeping it together even though Mark was out etc. You go girl!

M&M’s showmance would have been a lot easier to stomach would it at least have been a bit subtle at not as in your face. As people still seem to buy it I guess it payed off. That’s kinda sad actually lol

I feel like, yes, there were a lot of lifts in both Amy and Meryl’s freestyles. But… That’s ALL Meryl’s freestyle seemed to be. They were all executed flawlessly, but there wasn’t a lot of actual dancing?

I also watched DWTS with my boyfriend last night, and although he is not an expert like yours, he is smart enough to know what his eyes and gut tell him. We talked a lot about how Derek tells a story and connects the movements and how Maks seems to lack this ability. Meryl and Maks never have a compelling story, and the emotion is always a put-on and lacks earnestness. It’s like watching a play – a good play, but not a great one. Watching Amy and Derek is like watching real-life unfold in beautiful shapes and lines, the vulnerability yet power they display is mesmerizing. After both of their routines last night we just looked at each other and said “wow wow wow”. Derek is a magician, but Amy is every bit the wizard herself.

I will be glad for Meryl and Maks to win, but I will always wonder “what could have been” if she’d been given better choreography. I would be ecstatic if Amy and Derek win. I highly doubt Candace pulls off anything other than third, but she should be proud of where she is and what she was able to accomplish.

While I agree with much of what you’ve said, I have to say that I very much think that Meryl deserves to win. Would I have been happy to death to have seen what she and Derek would do together? Yep. I think there would have been ‘take your breath away moments’ with that pairing that have been sorely lacking this season.

I will say, that I will never hear the song, “Happy” again without having Charlie in that silly green suit dancing like mad in my mind! How he is not in the final is still beyond my understanding.

I don’t care for Candace, but grant that Mark has handled her well this season. Should she be in the finals? Not in my world, but in the world of Mirrorballia things seem to be falling her way to an absolutely unbeliveable level. Better dancer than James? Ummmm … no.

Amy. I’m not sure that her special circumstances were handled well by the production team (Buh-bye to Mr. Green) because I feel that it should have been clarified for the judges if she was to be judged 100% as the other dancers were (however whackko that may be as judging goes) or they should have been given guidelines (and we should know as well) as to what special concessions were being allowed to compensate for her disability. I like her. She’s a good dancer. Derek is a genius. All that said, she didn’t come close to out-dancing Meryl. In all fairness, Nicole Scherzinger would have a hard time out-dancing Meryl.

So, I think the win SHOULD go to Meryl. Will it? The way things have gone this season, who knows?

Some of us do actually believe that Amy was judged like the other dancers, Marilyn. And the ONLY way Meryl could ever out dance Nicole Scherzinger is if she had been paired with Derek. I’ve been saying all season long that Maks failed to show Meryl off to her full ability – nothing I saw last night changed my mind, including that barely disguised rip off of Derek freestyle from a year ago. Dude didn’t even change the STAGING of it.

Some of you have to remember that this show isn’t all about the dancing – it never has been, never will be. If dancing were the most important thing, we’d have several different champions over seasons past.

The thing with Meryl & Maks’ dances with me are that I don’t remember being moved or interested in watching any of them a second time. Whereas, I’ve gone back and watched James, Charlie, Amy, and even a few of Nene’s dances. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if Candace’s fans pull this out for her. Mark shined and she wasn’t ever considered a ringer. It would be nice to see someone like her win TBH. Her positive attitude helped also.

I agree with Marilyn. Meryl deserves to win this season, she shouldn’t be judged and attacked because of peoples dislike for Maks. I see everyone’s point that the show seems to push us towards Maks and Meryl I don’t think this should take away from Meryl’s amazing dancing. It’s also not the first time the show has done this, it’s usually with Derek with nearly every other season, so personally I’m glad to see the show support a different pro for a change. Whether Meryl wins remains to be seen but in my mind she certainly deserves it.

Third place: Candace and Mark: That was really nice quickstep. It reminded me of old school Hollywood. I think it was underscored. Then the freestyle happened. It was just very blah to me. I get what they were going for and loved the DJ Tanner thing but other than that it was the weakest of the freestyles they have had this season.
2nd place: Amy and Derek: Cute salsa dance but I kinda liked the one she did with Mark better. The freestyle was cute. I really liked the part with the rope/cloth.
Winner: Meryl and Maks: Loved the A. Tango but I liked Val’s version better. That freestyle though. It took Maks long enough but he has cracked the mystery of how to do a freestyle.

Actually, I don’t think Derek’s ever had a pimped partner. When he danced with Kellie, Zendaya was the pimped. When he danced with Nicole, Evan was the pimped. Corbin was somewhat pimped last season, although not too badly – the biggest last season was Leah for some unexplained reason. Brooke’s season was before the pimping began. Jennifer? No pimping necessary on her, but Brandy was the one that was slobbered over all season. I think many fans, in their quest to explain away the ass kissing Meryl and Maks have gotten all season, like to point fingers at Derek, in some attempt at fairness. Too bad it doesn’t come close to reality.

Of course Meryl is talented – she was trained more than anyone else this season before coming into the show. That has to be taken into account as well.

If the show is going to give out trophys to long time pros who haven’t won, I hope they bring back Anna next season. She went ten seasons without winning, I think its her turn. I would love to see her win.

Between Kellie and Melissa freestyles and contempary used as a dance so much during the season, it just feels like the same old. Already seen it, when freestyles are suppose to be something different and you can do whatever you want.

Candace freestyle was meh but she had a great journey this season. To bad it had to end with Mark getting injured, still a great season.

I actually really like James freestyle, it was unique, different, upbeat and fun.

My comments will not be so nice toward Meryl and Maks. Maks tried to use Kellie’s FS and what a disaster as far as I am concerned. All I saw was more of what Maks and Meryl have done all season. Just really blah for me. I will not be happy for Maks to finally get his win. He has not earned it. I would rather anyone win but Maks. Candace has surprised everyone this season. Obviously, she is getting the votes. Candace was underscored last night. Amy and Derek deserve this win. Not for Derek but for Amy. When CAI mentioned Derek lifting Amy too much last night when Maks had Meryl in the air the whole dance, I wanted to throw something at the TV. It has been kiss Maks’ behind all season. Thank you Amy and Derek for making this season worth watching.

I do agree that Meryl is an excellent dancer because she has been doing it on ice for the majority of her life. However, when they would be dancing, including last night, I found myself distracted by other things to do. It is a ‘we all know she is wonderful, bla bla bla’…next…

Amy was just so inspiring….period….but a heck of a good dancer….period.

Candace…hard NOT to like her. I must admit that in the beginning I was a bit put off by the whole Christian thing but as time went on I forgot about that and just focused on their routines. She did not use any showmance to try to get votes…she just danced…like Amy.

James seemed like a really nice guy but that was it…The kiss at the end of their tango was over doing it in my opinion. Showmance number 2.

The contemporary routine from Maks and Meryl was deja vu for me. Although there was more ‘stretching and gymnastics’, It did not get to me as I believe they wanted that freestyle to impact people. Looking over their dance they had lots and lots of lifts, but then Carrie Ann having that being one of the first comments out of her mouth for Derek and Amy is mindblowing. And the rope, I think Len is the only one for whom it was an issue.

For Maks to be buddy buddy with Derek in the skybox is a bit hypocritical for me. Since when? Or was he whispering to him ‘Thanks bud for letting me copy the majority of your routine from season 16′.

Regardless of this season being a bit of a disappointment because it is so obvious as to who is destined to be THE ONE, I am still looking forward to the fall season.

Voted for Amy and Derek to win – their freestyle was amazing and left me screaming at my tv (in a good way) and I loved their salsa as well. She’s so much more confident now and I love seeing her continue to blossom on the dance floor and she even seems stunned at what she can do sometimes and that’s a tribute to Derek’s amazing teaching and choreography.

Those 8’s for Candace were absolutely ridiculous. I had the same look on my face as her daughter. The judges of this show are so out of touch with reality. They need to be replaced with people who actually know what they’re talking about. I would rather see the Afterbuzz team judge this show than watch another season with Carrie Ann shrieking and hollering (truly embarrassing and she’s barely qualified to judge a ballroom show) and Len bitching and complaining about props.

I agree with others when I say that this season has me questioning Meryl’s competitive spirit. She’ll do anything to win (including playing up this ridiculous fauxmance and letting others talk about her Olympic partner of 17 years) and I don’t like the feeling that gives me. Meryl acts like this is the first time she’s gotten any attention from the opposite sex (real or otherwise) and I don’t know if that has played into why she’s acting the way she is but it gives me such 2nd hand embarrassment. I thought both of their dances last night were good. Not mind-blowing or the best of the night but good.

And to whoever said that Meryl would outdance Nicole: No. No. A million times no. Meryl wouldn’t be able to outdance Nicole with four legs.

I have to admit I barely watched last night’s episode. Something about it seemed so “forced.” Then again I miss the old freestyles, where the pros actually did a freestyle dance, not a “contemporary” dance( *cough* Maks, Derek *cough*) or a very weird party/disco type dance(mark), I’m not too sure what Peta’s freestyle was, but it looked like a street dance gone bad in my little opinion. What happened to the Donald Driver/JR type freestyles?
I did like the idea of having the stars redo the dance they had during switch week, but I think some, like James, did better the first time around.
As for my “ranking,” I have two.
The “based on dance skills at this point” ranking: Meryl (1st), Amy (2nd), and Candace (3rd)
The “how far they have come/who’s overcome the most” ranking: Amy (1st), Meryl (2nd), Candace (3rd).
To me its impossible to know which should be used to decide a winner, because it is always brought up at this point in the season that the true question is, “Should the winner be the one who dances the best, or overcame the most/worked the hardest?”

I agree Kelly#16, Then bring back Louis Van Amstel too since he’s been involved since season 1 and has never won the coveted mirrorball trophy!

Maks didn’t crack the mystery of how to do a freestyle…he took the idea from Derek and Kellie’s winning Freestyle in Season 16 last year. While the routine may not have been similar, the costuming, staging and lighting certainly were. Derek prefers to keep his shirt on though.

Nobody has attacked Meryl either. She’s a great dancer, as she should be for someone with years of dance training under her belt plus JUST coming off winning an Olympic Gold Medal in Sochi, the first Gold Medal for the USA in ice DANCING ever! And that’s why she’s the biggest ringer the show has ever had. But it’s ok, since she didn’t get partnered with Derek. If she had been, the cries would’ve started March 4th when the pairings were announced on GMA!

I just didn’t like how Meryl bought into the showmance with Maks and how she wanted to win for HIM..because he’d never won before. Please, so that’s why you did the show then, to win a mirrorball trophy for the pro you were paired with? Would she have said the same thing if she’d have been paired with Mark or Derek or Henry or another male Pro who’s already won this competition? I doubt it.

Just to play devil’s advocate with the concern that Maks copied Derek’s routine from last year, keep in mind Derek was working with Meryl last year on her ice dance routine and has said he was inspired from their lifts to come up with his and Kellie’s rotational lift. The lift that Meryl did with Maks is a very similar lift that she and Charlie did in their 2011 free dance, so even if Maks copied some elements from Derek’s freestyle, Derek copied some things after working with Meryl.

Last night was so hard to take as a DWTS fan, it was so obvious where the judges were headed…all the way Meryl and Maks. When Charlie left, i was so disappointed but decided I would find someone to follow this was a great group. OMG, last night I felt no doubt Amy should win. I was ready some of the boards and the Maks fans were actually mean to her.
When Len said he did not care for the rope, I wanted to cry. This was an incredible free-style and is that not want it is all about…doing what you want and wow even my husband said what a stupid comment. I then starting voting and gave all my votes to Amy and Derek and then called my son and had him vote and my sister.
I know this season was so set up for Max to win, but how many Tangos to we have to watch from him. I thought the free style was nice, but nothing that was MBT winning.
Hoping for a miracle tonight,…….Amy and Derek.

@CT & Marilyn – What I think both have you have failed to take into account is that show has never been fair and people vote for silly reasons all the time – viewers refuse to vote for a certain celeb because of a certain pro, viewers vote for celebs that they can’t stand because of a certain pro, viewers get bothered by one thing a pro or celeb has said and it influences their voting, etc. How is this any different? Happens every season…but apparently Meryl is “above” the very nature of this show, and no one should be allowed to dislike her because of her partner? If I had a dime for every time someone here said they refused to vote for Derek’s partner because he has won too many times, I could quit my day job and blog here full time. You’re wasting your breath trying to convince people that dislike Maks that Meryl still deserves to win. They’re within their rights to vote however they want…it’s been that way for years.

And CT, please point out where anyone on this post is “attacking” Meryl – otherwise I have no choice but to assume it’s hyperbole on your part and you can’t stand any talk about Meryl that isn’t over-the-top praise.

Er…I think you have the timing wrong on that Marie. Derek got his last move from something he saw on Youtube, but it was not Meryl and Charlie as I recall – his big, most impressive move can’t actually be done on ice. And really, all the pros find inspiration in all kinds of places – it’s just never been so blatantly from another pro on the same exact show before. ESPECIALLY after saying you’re going to do something never before seen on DWTS!! How ridiculous.

Maks did do something “never before seen on DWTS” – he tried to pass off a routine that was a blatant copy of something we’ve already seen as something we’ve “never before seen on DWTS!” I don’t think any of the other pros would be dumb enough to try and pass off that freestyle as something brand new and completely original.

I don’t believe Meryl is better than Nicole or even Shawn for that matter. She is a great dancer but she doesn’t have enough personality on the floor (Amber is better than her, in this aspect) and I agree with the post above, with Meryl you will always wonder what she could have done with a better choreographer. I see comments on other boards on how Amy had to many lifts in her freestyle, wth did Meryl have?..she had just as many and for me their chemistry is forced. Also there was an intimacy to that dance that was uncomfortable to watch, probably bc I think it’s all fake with those 2. I was actually ok with a Maks win, but seeing some comments, and actual bloggers (on buddyTV) encouraging anti-Amy comments pisses me of so I will vote for Amy/Derek like crazy, who knows? anything is possible.
Even if he wins, I think it is so funny how Maks’s fans and even himself think this is some big accomplishment :))) It only proves he needed a better dancer than him to finally win.

“This week, I also started working on a very special routine that’s not for the show. I’m choreographing a number for our world champion ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White to perform at the Olympics next year. They graciously asked me to do it and how could I say no? It’s truly an honor and they’re amazing. They won silver in Vancouver, are five-time U.S. champions and two-time world champions. If you’re not familiar with them, I highly recommend you check out some of their routines. They actually taught me a new move that I might have to do on the show. It’s a trick and Kellie would be able to do it. Maybe you’ll see it in a few weeks!”

#17 Heidi: Yes yes yes!!!
I think Maks, sadly, barely scratched the surface of Meryl’s considerable talent. All season long, I kept hoping for their “wow” moment, and except for last night’s dances (with a grateful nod to Derek’s beautiful freestyle choreo stolen by Maks)I never felt it. I wanted to gag when CAI said “you two should get married!”. Excuse me? That was truly a bizarre comment, imo. I guess Meryl may win the MBT, but she’ll win it in spite of, not because of Maks, I think. I would’ve LOVED to have seen what Derek would’ve done with her talent. Talk about “wow” moments!!! However, I am hoping beyond hope that the “true champion in life”, Amy, takes home the MBT. Also, the fact that Charlie is not in the finals is a travesty, imo. I thought he was just wonderful and far better than James or Candace. I think Sharna would’ve give him a great freestyle. Oh well, it is what it is. Thank you to the lovely mods for this wonderful site, and congratulations to the winner whoever it may be.

I totally agree with you guys, last night really made me mad, that whole campaign for Maks to win is completely ridiculous.Just because he’s never won before means he absolutely has to win?That’s BS though I agree that if he doesn’t win with Meryl he’ll never win, but I suppose that’s the deal the producers struck with Maks to have him return, so they can create drama between Derek and Maks.
James and Peta dances were bland and I guess I wasn’t their target, though I am a 28 yo female.Their elimination was a surprise to me mainly because I really thought those loudmouthed teenaged girls on twitter were voting like crazy for their loverboy,I guess that means the louder voices on twitter aren’t really putting their votes where their mouths and tweets are.

Candace and Mark I agree she isn’t the best dancer out there by far, but I see her appeal and I admire her motivation.She’s the last non olympian standing and for that she can be applauded.
Her QS lacked a few key elements but like I said she isn’t the best dancer.
Her freestyle was puzzling I guess I didn’t really like the disco theme and the gold costumes, but I think I get where Mark was shooting, because this is a fun fun dance that made me smile.Her lifts weren’t as clean as they could have been, I think it’s in part due to her costume that was much too tight and restrictive.I would have put her in a dress like the one she wore in her contemporary with Charlie.
Heck Mark, I kinda hoped you’d take a leaf out of your bro’s book and do at least part contemporary with amazing lifts, you had a mine gold right there but all you did was use gold pants.Though I get you wanted to go the other routes from Meryl and Amy’s contemporary FS but I really think you could have given them a run for their money if u had tried to do contemporary FS.

Meryl and Maks that ATango was just not as good as the one Meryl did with Val, and that FS was beautiful, but there’s the same problem with Meryl I’ve had all season, I don’t feel anything, I really feel no emotions when she dances.I see perfect moves (hello biggest ringer ever, curious how no one ever mentions it, if she was paired with derek we’d be hearing this over and over again), but I feel nothing.I guess to each his own, though I wish Carrie Ann would have said something, like she did to others contestants, that way we would have seen constant progression, not just a ringer dance at the same level every week this season, but I guess anything works to make Maks (not Meryl, Maks) win.

Amy and Derek that salsa was amazing, and I think somebody(Derek) got nostalgia and watched back his mambo with Shawn on youtube, cos I spotted a few of my favorite moves from one of my favorite dances ever on the show.
Nonetheless, that salsa has plenty of content and the execution was perfect, much better than the week of the switch up.
That’s what I mean about progression, even CAI said Amy progressed and was better every week.
If we vote for the most improved, and the one who had to overcome the most hurdles in this competition, then the winner should be Amy (not just Derek), I feel this season more than any other was truly Amy’s season.Derek’s focus was completely on Amy, the choreography was designed especially for her and I think Derek had to create a whole new way of teaching to teach Amy, which is incredible.
That Freestyle was just mesmerizing, even my mom who makes fun of me for how much I love and admire Derek, watched Amy’s FS and said she had chills, she was tearing up.That’s how Derek genius works, he uses moves and tricks to tell a story that touches your heart and soul and moves you.
Even Jennifer Grey was so admirative, her mouth fell open, that’s how good Derek is, he even amazes his old partners lol.

At the end of this season, I realize that whoever wins tonight, the true winner is Amy, and she’s the one people will remember, she showed all of us that nothing’s impossible if we dare to try.
The ranking for me should be Amy in 1st place, Meryl second, Candace third.
Though I doubt it’ll happen, and we can’t forget about the dark horse that is Candace, or the strength of votes that can come from people who’ve been moved and can relate to injuries and overcoming obstacles, voting for Amy for the win.

We don’t actually know if he used it, we don’t know if it was in the freestyle…we know nothing, including what the trick actually WAS. And that completely misses the point, as I said in my previous post. What did Maks do that was so earth shattering and unique on DWTS??

I was a bit underwhelmed by the finale. I guess I expected much more after such a competitive season. All the dancing was very good, but few things took me by surprise.

1. Meryl and Maks
I liked the AT a lot. This dance though was so different from the one with Val that it’s hard to compare. However, what I liked about this one was that it was more organic, not too hectic, and the music was great. Plus, AT is impressive on Maks body being so masculine and powerful.

The freestyle was a beautiful dance. It suited them, and especially Meryl. And I felt that the message of the song was very appropriate to describe their journey on the show. “I feel we’re close enough… I’m latching on to you”. My problem with the song though is that I did not feel the sound or rhythms were as powerful as their rumba song.

I actually saw absolutely no similarity between their freestyle and Kellie’s (expect for the lighting, which could be entirely TPTB’s choices). If anything, I saw stuff from Karina and Corbin’s contemporary in there. And the beginning, with the starting pose of Meryl on Maks’s shoulders is taken from Maks and Karina’s dance on Broadway.

Anyways, I hope Meryl and Maks win tonight because I really was entertained by their dances week by week. And I’m not surprised that Meryl said she wants to win for Maks. They are a partnership, so her motivation to win is her partner. And that is sincere and very relatable. It would have looked so fake if after the achievement in the Olympics she would come on the show and say how much winning DWTS really means to her.

2. Amy and Derek
I liked their salsa, especially for the music. We have been tortured with horrible music for almost all of the salsas and sambas done this season that it was so refreshing to get proper music. The dance itself had nothing special for me, it looked very recycled, but well executed.

The main thing about the freestyle that I liked A LOT was the rope thing. It was beautiful to watch. The rest of the dance was meah. I liked their contemporary in week 3 better. And I was surprised that they went the contemporary route since the package + freestyle felt to me like a repeat of week 3 but with lesser impact because of knowing the story already.

3. Peta and James
I give them credit for trying something different in their freestyle. I did not connect to it, but it certainly showcased James and his street/hip hop dance abilities. The music was not my favorite either. To me, James really shined in his salsa in week 2, so I would have liked to see a very dynamic and sexy and catchy latin dance. But, it’s good that James left the show doing what he does best. I liked the guy.
Nothing much to say about their tango.

4. Candace and Mark
She was all in and this showed. I give Candace a lot of credit for stepping out of her comfort zone with that freestyle…. from wardrobe to dance moves. And she was working the music. While her dancing is not that great, she puts me in a great mood and I can see why she is still in the competition.

I like all of the top 3 finalists! Candace has been my overall favorite in terms of personality but I don’t think she’s necessarily deserving of the win. I’m glad she made it to the finals!! That being said, I gave my votes (just 5 lol I don’t go overboard with the voting) to Meryl. I thought the freestyle was BEAUTIFUL – to be honest I didn’t remember Kelly’s until I saw a comment about it last night & even then I can barely recall, so I couldn’t say how similar it was. But I don’t think it matters. As far as Maks goes, I’ve never been a fan but I’ve never particularly disliked him either. Mostly neutral but I admit I’d like to see him win just once! So I don’t see anything wrong with that aspect of the finale either! I’d be happy to see Amy win for Amy too…but I really am sick of Derek winning. I know he’s obviously the best, but it gets old.
In conclusion I’d ultimately be happy with any of them winning-for the contestant & in the case of Meryl & Maks I’d be happy for Maks.

I think that people will remember this season as the season that ‘Maks finally won…..with that Olympic ice dancer.’ I would hope they might remember that it was Meryl Davis but who knows.

But I also think that this season will be remembered as the season of Amy Purdy, the para Olympic medalist, defying the odds and it will be remembered just as much as who won and that many of her individual dances could be the ones that people remember and want to watch again or for the first time.

Way to miss the point, Jennifer. It’s not just about contemporary as a style – the costuming and staging, if not the choreo, for Meryl and Maks dance was extremely close to what Kellie and Derek did a year ago AFTER Maks claimed that he was doing something never before done on DWTS. Seriously, Maks needs to STFU because he keeps making big proclamations that just aren’t true. Not even close.

@Jen – Erin & Maks contemporary routine was choreographed by Mandy Moore, and I believe it was Erin’s concept and Mandy just ran with it – funny thing is, it ended up looking pretty similar to a routine Mandy choreographed to the same song for Will & Jessica in season 4 of SYTYCD. As for Tony’s “contemporary” routine with Melissa – I still maintain that was a THEATER ARTS routine, as it strongly resembled pieces of several routines I’ve seen from Eric Luna & Georgia Ambarian, even down to the costuming…seems like he just thew the contemporary label on it so it would seem more familiar to people. And it was pretty funny that he then tried to claim last season that he “had never choreographed contemporary before” when he & Leah got saddled with it.

It’s hard to describe how I felt watching the package with Meryl talking about Maks winning. That should be seen as very bizarre. What bothers me most is that it isn’t. So in the end, should Meryl and Maks win (which I still believe is not inevitable), they will not have “won” the competition we all thought we were watching. They will have won an entirely different competition, one that pairs each pro with a skilled (non-pro) dancer. The pro that takes best advantage of what their non-pro partner has to offer, wins. If M/M is handed the trophy, that is the competition he will have won. Very sad that this has been not only permitted, but promoted. Since the only way Maks can win (if he does) is by turning the competition inside-out, I think his MBT should be upside-down, mirrorball on the bottom.

Well he did. Here’s from Taunton Daily Gazette on Feb. 14th of this year (“Derek Hough: “It Was an Honor” to Work on Meryl Davis and Charlie White’s Olympic Routine):

“You teased last year that you might incorporate something you learned from them into the show. Have you?

Hough: Yeah. I did it with Kellie [Pickler] in our freestyle. What happens when you’re doing something like this is it makes you go, “What if we try this?” [In the freestyle] where she puts her feet on my shoulders and I start spinning her around, it’s something you might see in ice dancing. I wasn’t taught that, but maybe because I was working with them, I thought that was something we could put in.”

Great commentary! I am not even sure I will watch tonight’s show as it seems predetermined. Last night seemed very blah to me. I loved James’ free style routine actually because it was fun and full on. Candace seemed very stressed and, like some mentioned, I did not like the package where Mark was pushing her neck into place. He was really rough with her imo. Derek and Amy were mesmorising. I think that Mandy Moore choreographed Meryl’s routine. She tweeted about it which seemed, to me anyway, that she might have had a hand in it. I can’t believe how Val and Tony were pimping Maks last night – I don’t get how the pros of the show can do that as they should be unbiased, on social media particularly, while the voting is going on. Some of the pros and troupe were congratulating everyone but some of them seemed to be on the Maks bandwagon. My wish is that we have an upset tonight and not a Maks win but that seems unlikely.

I don’t think it was a coincidence that we got the negative edit with Candace and Mark. Remember that Evan and Anna got along like a house afire until the last voting episode where TPTB showed Evan making Anna cry? Hmm.

Amy has amazed me from day one but I keep going back and forth whether I think she or Meryl will win. I read one post and go, “Meryl’s a cinch” and then another and think, “Yeah! Amy’s got it!, lol.

I couldn’t believe it when Meryl’s package consisted of Max talking about how amazing it’s been for HIM and wondered if they would let Meryl talk at all. Well, they did but then it was to show her saying that she wants to win “for Maks”. I’m sure it was probably in response to some question but the edit really made me wish I could vote for Meryl but somehow NOT for Maks.

I wish that the crazy judges hadn’t been so obvious with their “8” scores for Candace. Really? When I think about the tens they gave out earlier, jiminy crickets!

I wanted Charlie to win but since he’s out, I would be happy for any of the celebs to win. Heck, I would have been okay with James!

And I think Tony brought this up earlier, but as for the whole “let a pro who hasn’t won yet win!” mentality, I think I can best illustrate my opinion on it like this: I move that remove the current President from office (he’s already had his turn!) and let Mitt Romney be President. Cause he hasn’t had a chance yet. Or let Miss Wyoming win Miss America – cause she hasn’t had a chance yet. Or let the kid that missed half the practices get crowned the MVP of his peewee football team – cause he hasn’t had a chance yet. Cause EVERYONE deserves a trophy, y’all…no matter how much they suck. Because ENTITLEMENT.

Since people talk about who got inspiration from where, one of the show-stopper move from Kellie and Derek was taken from the Duo MainTenanT. Check on YT their piece Benissimo, or even other dances. The chair-like position of bodies that transit into a ship mast (or whatever it’s called) is done in many of Duo MainTenanT routines.

I personally don’t care the move was not original. It was very well integrated by Derek in the freestyle with Kellie. At the end of the day, all dances have elements borrowed from other choreos out there.

And you STILL miss the point, Marie – what did Maks do that was ground breaking and never before done on DWTS? What? Derek got inspiration for a MOVE (Not an entire routine) admitted it in public. Maks, on the other hand, “borrows” staging, wardrobe and possibly some chore from Derek yet claimed he was doing something new and never before done on DWTS. So, is he delusional?? Or are you determined to keep the focus on Derek who actually had the balls to admit when he used someone’s move?

Oh, I don’t claim to know anything about that. My initial post was on the concern that Maks and Meryl were copying Derek, and wanted to point out Derek’s inspiration from working with Meryl. I don’t know nor care about anything Maks said otherwise. Glad to bring my observation to light!

Erin’s contemporary was kind of a flop as I recall and they did it because she could help with the choreography because she had training in it as I recall as well. I remember the “bed”.

I like Meryl, but I agree that I found it disingenuous that she bought into the “poor Max” theory of why he should win. That turned me off to her. As a gold medal Olympian (as the Maks fans never fail to remind us) she above all people should have wanted her dancing ONLY to be center of the experience. Tell me what other Olympian allowed themselves to be drawn into a showmance. Let’s think about Evan, Kristi, Shawn, Ally, or even Charlie. I think it was degrading to her.

I, too voted my behind off. I am also hoping for a miracle like that of the Kellie/Zendaya season. Amy deserves this mirrorball, perhaps in many ways more than any other contestant in history with the exception of JR. They both share many qualities. I hope that what sent him over the top will also send Amy over the top. Otherwise, I think this show will really begin to decline because many people in the demographic who most watches this show will get tired of the showmance angle.

But you didn’t actually address the response to your concern, Marie. All you did was try to shift the focus to Derek, inaccurately. Typical argument tactic that always seems to fail when backed into a corner.

One other thing to add. Meryl and Amy’s freestyles are comparable. Sure, people respond to different things, they are judging and responding emotionally to dances based on opinions formed throughout the season (if not many seasons prior in the case of the pros).

But, Maks has a poor track record of freestyles and he probably did surpass expectations. Especially if the expectations were that he is going to fall flat and be miles behind in comparison to Derek.

However, Derek has a track record of amazing freestyles and this maybe just fell a tad short by comparison. I think Kellie’s freestyle was amazing, and that is going to remain his business card for contemporary freestyles.

I tried to post a response a few minutes ago and it didn’t seem to go through, so I’ll give it another go. I’m sorry I didn’t address your concerns, Heidi. I was mostly responding to Courtney’s request for proof in regards to my first post and you mentioned that Derek never actually revealed the trick, but he did. I don’t intend to back up Maks’ statements, because I haven’t been watching this show long or in-depth enough to do so. Sorry!

So, Maks has the better freestyle just because he normally sucks? What, are we grading on a curve now??

Don’t agree that this one fell short for Derek, all things considered. I will say that, as per usual, he has a great body of work during the season which makes the freestyle seem not as big of a deal. Different thing altogether.

Thank you Courtney for your skilled and interesting comments,you have opened my eyes more than once!

I have to admit that I am ready for this season of dwts to be over. The main reason for this is Maks,and I am feeling so sorry for Meryl and the “situation” (or whatever) she has been dragged into. Hopefully it has been out of her control. At the same time I think she should’ve stood up more for Charlie. My feelings towards Maks makes it difficult for me to say anything positive about their dances. No doubt in my mind though that Meryl is an amazing dancer in spite of the boring and repetitive coreography she has been given. As I have seen in many comments given today and yesterday their freestyle was similar to the freestyle Derek and Kellie did last year.

With that said I also think that Amy’s freestyle in many ways reminded med of the Kellie freestyle. In the beginning of the dance Amy and Derek were standing in the exact same position as Derek and Kellie – and in that moment I was predicting the mood of the dance – and normally I am never able to predict Derek’s coreography, but this time I was. I was a bit diasappointed because Derek always and normally seems to come up with something new and different, especially in his freestyles. Len didn’t appreciate the rope of course, imo the part with the rope was the most creative and moving part of the dance.

IMO none of the freestyles this year had the wow factor. Candace was the weakest dancer of the four remaining dancers yesterday, but I think the reason she has come so far is her story, her attitude and her “journey” – she has developed a lot during these weeks,and she has restored the old and good and nice Mark. Because of her journey she deserves to be among the three last celebs. She is the underdog in this party -and I think a lot of people love the underdogs.She has been poorly treated by the judges, which I suppose will give her a lot of extra votes. Imo Candace and Amy are the true winners of this seasons – although Meryl (Maks) probably will be the owners ofthe mbt this night. I don’t care!

To whoever was asking…Topsy has James way out in front on the encore with nearly double the votes of Meryl. Amy’s in last place – no surprise there, I think most were more concerned with VOTING. But DWTSGossip also pointed out that it’s between the “remaining couples” which I think sucks pretty bad. I would rather see James again than Meryl.

Maybe I missed it, but even after rewatching the freestyles I don’t see this whole “Maks copied Derek’s freestyle from season 16″ thing. Can someone please explain to me, or tell me at what point in the routine did Maks “copy” the routine? I saw a few similar moves, but both were contemporary and that’s to be expected. Heck even Karina and Corbin’s contemporary had some of the same moves( the one partner leans back and the other “helps” them and then “pushes/gently tugs” them forward again move being one of those moves). So either I’m blind, delusional, or just missing the “copied” moves. Someone please help

I think the judges should definitely be unbiased since they give scores and those scores count for half of the total, but you can’t ask the same thing from the pros. I think it is normal and human for them to express an opinion and have a favorite. I don t blame Tony for plugging Maks since we all know they are close. Sharna, Cheryl, Emma, Sasha etc have always been very vocal ab how much they admire Derek.
I must say, my “favorite” expression this season has been ““Being an ice dancer doesn’t give her an advantage” :))) good grief! if Maks has the ringer there is no advantage if Derek has a ringer, well than it is all fixed and everything is unfair. I’m not a fan of C.Green but I loved what he said ab the show being fixed ” if it were why would I have Derek Hough win every f…… time”…:)) now, only if the haters would get that.

It was more the staging and the costuming, Teresa, as I’ve said SEVERAL times now. I’d have to watch the dance again, to pick out the choreo moves – and I don’t want to that badly. But, more importantly, Maks said he was doing something never done on DWTS before – he was WAY wrong. THIS is the point. Maks’ words being wrong once again.

And yes, I’m going to keep repeating this phrase until people GET IT. So unless you want to read me saying the same thing over and over again, I suggest you get back on point.

But that should not matter PH. the question was which freestyle people wanted to see again, and James won fair and square. since it isn’t going to be judged, they owe it to James’ fans to give it to them.
I voted as much as I could till Yahoo wouldn’t even let me create more emails. Hoping for a miracle. James’ elimination does show social network activity counts very little. Hopefully the general public will give Amy the win.

I did not say anything about a *better* freestyle. Just how they can be perceived by the public.

I don’t think this is considered grading on a curve. I think it’s more about rewarding personal progress. And yes, Maks has shown progress. Did this make him reach Derek’s overall achievements in choreo? No, I don’t think so. But why the need to do that comparison? I could make a comparison about Derek this season versus Maks this season. But it’s so subjective that I feel no need to share it.

Anna, I have to strongly disagree. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but to say that Maks was better than Derek at freestyle? Hm…

What I like about Derek is that he has been in the finals so many times, yet he knows how to show us something that we have never seen before. That rope… Oh my gosh, me and my roommate (who has no idea who Derek is), were screaming at the screen when Amy was in the air. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I thought that nothing can beat Derek and Kellie’s freestyle (hell, I even wrote that on PureDWTS two days ago), well…it just happened.

On the other hand. What was different in Meryl’s and Maks’s freestyle? Meryl got angry and was hurt, Maks lifted her up and was spinning her around, Meryl walked away from him holding her head and oh…they almost kissed. Sounds familiar? Yes, they have done it almost every single dance. I was so expecting so much more, yet was left cold.

It’s not about Maks, remember? I know it’s hard to remember this season of all seasons. Going by the celebrity, Amy has shown the most growth. Anyway, public perception is a very tricky thing. It’s very easy to mistake squeaky wheels on the internet as “public perception”. I go back to Zendaya/Kellie to remind people that’s not always the case.

Then again, this show has pretty masterfully manipulated the squeaky wheels…I would imagine that some of the general public bought it as well.

As for Derek…Maks will never make it to Derek’s level, not through lack of ability, but because of a massive blind spot. He already thinks he’s done everything he could do with Meryl. But he not only didn’t challenge Meryl, he didn’t really challenge himself…and the show didn’t challenge him either. Where was his Futuristic Paso, or his 50’s Paso, or his Knight Rider Bhangra?? Or hell, even his African…whatever that dance was Mark did with Aly. I just don’t remember him taking any risks at all. All I can remember is showmance at this point.

First off, this is probably the only year thus far where I haven’t been that excited for the finals because we already know who is going to win.

Also, I was cringing a little bit last night when Zendaya was posting pictures on her twitter saying “The same thing better not happen to Meryl & Maks that happened to Valdaya, the producers rigged it” or something in that nature. I’m over Maks and I’m over this season.

—————————————
Candace and Mark – Okay, I get she isn’t the BEST dancer but come on, her freestyle at least deserved all 9’s. I thought she was having fun with it and stepped out of her comfort zone (and btw, I loved the song for her)

Amy and Derek – Where do I begin? This is the only freestyle that I actually had to rewind and watch over again once the show went on commercial because I was so amazed. I don’t understand how Len gave this a 9?! Like, what? I do applaud Maks in the background when they got their scores but I bet secretly, he was a little relieved. Although, scores only mean so much. Remember when JR beat Rob ssn 13 when Rob had a 2-3 point lead? Anyways, I agree with everything Courtney said about this couple.

Meryl and Maks – This is the thing, all I kept thinking last night is “Wow, they’re making it about Maks again”. The packages and Erin’s questions were about Maks finally winning rather than Meryl. This is where I was comparing Mark to Maks because when Erin (ugh cringe) was asking Mark about his shoulder he stopped her because it’s about Candace and not him.

But, Heidi, wasn’t their Mowgli Samba cute?? LoL I didn’t think Maks challenged Meryl or himself either. He did the easiest choreography he could do because he knew he’d have a good dancer to execute it! Then he played up the ‘showmance’ card. The public bought it.

Meryl ‘tamed’ Maks. Yeah, last week, with him throwing that mic pack across the room and her whispering that he was making her nervous after their Contemporumba against domestic violence the week before. Yep, she did such a good job turning him into a teddy bear. And her petting his back because he missed his Meryl…barf…I almost tossed my cookies.

I think that keeping the cussing out to a minimum and choreographing jives was so “challenging” for Maks this season that there was no room left for intricate choreo.

I think back to my favorite Maks dance, which was the Mel B paso, and then I think of Meryl’s dances — the comparison shows that all we saw of Meryl was the same soft, sweetly smiling side. Even in her salsa, she never embodied the character of any of the “intense” dances — this is something contestants get called out for A LOT (or did.) I was so hoping for a paso-esque freestyle from her… guess that was too much to ask.

I really enjoyed this season of DWTS very much. I think all the dancing was excellent and everyone worked hard to do their best. Here are a few of my thoughts on the season.
I loved Amy and Derek’s dances all season but for some reason the salsa and the freestyle weren’t my favorite dances compared to others Amy has done. I don’t know why I feel this way because I do love Derek and Amy has worked so hard but they just weren’t my favorite dances.
I think Charlie should have been in the finale. He was scored unfairly from the beginning and no matter what he did he just couldn’t seem to win over the judges. I was very upset when he was voted off.
I wish Val had been paired with Meryl. After their AT I can only imagine what fabulous dancing we could have seen had they been paired together.
I did enjoy James dancing throughout the season. He seems like a nice person and he worked hard. The last couple weeks though his choreography could have been better and I think he would have gone to the finale.
Thank you to everyone at PureDWTS for another great season! I do enjoy your website so much!!!

During Meryl and Maks freestyle, my sister who barely watch the show said “doesn’t this dance similar to Derek and Kelly’s?” There was nothing special to that dance because it felt redundant and it looked like a regular routine Meryl has been doing on ice. On the other hand, Amy’s FS was beautiful, it has more fluid coming from a non dancer like Amy. It’s poetry in dancing. I hope America can see this and not just because “Maks never win, he deserve it.” If I’m Maks I would be embarrassed getting the MBT because of pity. Still hoping for Amy to win. Go Amy!

For that matter… I REALLY wanted an old Hollywood type freestyle for Amy (for Charlie actually, but…) with the running blades and maybe some of the jazz she did so well with. I thought it would silence her detractors by showing that she wasn’t going to reference her disability in the finale. However, it seems that they chose to do what would be most powerful and impactful for her and ignore the naysayers, which I respect a great deal.

For the first time, I really don’t feel any excitement towards watching the show. I’m not sure I’ll be watching next season. This season has really been a let down with how badly it’s been manipulated.

My favorites freestyles last name were Amy’s and Candace’s. Candace just looked like she was having so much fun. And Amy’s dance was just so beautiful and well done.

If or when Maks wins, IMO) it will be a hollow victory and totally unearned. So what did Maks do aside from creating an inferior imitation of Derek/Kellie’s contemporary and coping some lifts from Hanna K performances. And from what I read, another Pro (I think it was Henry) had to help him with the choreo. Sure sounds like a real winner to me, NOT.

Add to that the consistent pimping, week after week by TPTB and being given a super ringer with heavy dance experience. Yeah, Maks had a really up hill battle and deserves to get his big paws on that MBT.

And it took all of the above for him to beat out a contestant with no feet and another who had zero dance experience.

As for Princess Merly, between acting like a giddy crushing school girl and her blaise attitude when Charlie was thrown under the bus, she’s a big disappointment for me.

I don’t care who gets the MBT. I haven’t cared since Melissa Rycroft “won”. If Maks and Meryl win, what will it change? It’s not like he’s going to have a stellar career boost from it. He’s tried to get a career going off the show and we saw how that turned out. Derek and Amy, meanwhile, will be fine, or actually more than fine. They truly are the real winners and they don’t need a MBT to prove anything. I just feel sorry that this is such a big deal to Maks. It makes him come off as pathetic.

So tired today I can barely think. I just saw something today that tells me I shouldn’t watch tonight because when I’m this tired and “people” prove to me once again that they don’t think for themselves and value all the wrong things, I start crying and just can’t stop.

I just read article by 2 “reporters” that I usually consider unbiased, sane etc, just go on and on about how James and Peta kissed and how ALL they wanted was to see Meryl and Maks kiss…so I guess the writing is on the wall and I’m just going to go now and be sick.
(Loved the blog w bf’s comments and yes, the footwear thing has always puzzled me as well. Some big damage can occur when the rubber hits the floor if you are trying to turn!)

Despite what TPTB and everyone else seemed to be trying to tell us, the night belonged to Amy. Both her dances were just amazing. I just don’t get CAI and Len after her freestyle at all. CAI talking about “Amy can dance, why is she doing lifts” – well, one, lifts are *part* of dancing, especially in contemporary; two, are you implying that Meryl can’t dance, or that you don’t want to see her dance? Because she had just as many, if not more, lifts than Amy did in her (Meryl’s) freestyle, plus, she had a whole heck of them in her AT. And if that’s *not* what you were saying, then that was a bit of a slam at both Amy and Derek.

I haven’t seen much of what people online are saying (outside of this site) because I really don’t want to go there, but I did see (I believe under a video of Amy’s freestyle) a comment saying that the aerial work, and the lifts, and the fact that Amy was on her knees all were cop outs – and Meryl being on her back on the floor wasn’t???

Meryl’s dances, while pretty, left me feeling cold, and the packages with Maks made me want to gag. Please, just stop. I’m losing respect for Meryl, which is really unfortunate.

I thought James’ posture in the tango was much improved from his other ballroom work, but the tango was rather ‘meh’ overall, and the kiss didn’t really do anything for the routine. I thought his freestyle was fun, but I wasn’t wowed.

It was great to see Candace really sell both her dances, despite Mark’s injury. I wasn’t impressed with how Mark was treating her in rehearsal, though.

My hope for the rankings:

Amy

Meryl/Candace, in some order. I’d almost like to have Meryl third, just so I can relax and enjoy the rest of the show. Not going to happen, of course, and I’m prepared for Maks to win, but I don’t need to be happy about it.

@Carolyn Yeah, if you go to her twitter page, it’s the first picture ha. It shows a picture of Val and Zendaya beside Maks and Meryl with “If ABC is gonna pull a Valdaya Pt. 2 on Maks and Meryl, I swear I’m going to flip”

I don’t want Meryl and Maks to win. Not only have they done nothing to deserve it, but their attitudes stink. Maks is violent towards women (which the show endorses by allowing him to come back and showing his violence), and I am really disappointed in Meryl for playing into the “showmance” angle with Maks and “accepting” him. She is a HUGE ringer because she is a DANCER, though, let’s face it, she’s not even that good – on wood or on ice. Let’s just say it’s no coincidence that she’s both been accused of having the “fix in” for both her gold medal and the MBT. Charlie should dump her as his partner. She’s become just kind of trashy and classless.
Amy, whether or not she actually wins, is the true hero and winner of the season. She has conquered so much, and is such a classy competitor. Derek’s choreography this season has been Emmy worthy! They are amazing to watch!

If Zendaya is still upset about not winning her season, then 1)Val did a poor job of preparing her for the reality of the show, and 2)other key people (such as Val) also had a poor attitude regarding what happened. Just because the judges rave about you, or you think you’re the best dancer, doesn’t mean you’ll win, nor does it mean everything was rigged against you if you lose.

Thank you, Court, you captured my feelings on this whole charade of a season perfectly: (paraphrasing slightly) “Maks with Meryl as an accessory”.

There was so much potential in this season with probably one of the best casts they’ve ever assembled, an interesting and diverse group of celebs with a lot of latent as well as known dance talent. TPTB had all the makings of a fine filet mignon dinner, and what did they do with it? Ground it into hamburger and then burned it on the grill. What a friggin’ waste! I’m ready for it to be over.

The only reason I’m watching tonight is because I want to see Charlie and Sharna dance again. I’m not interested in seeing Charlie dance with Meryl because it’s just going to be another “use Charlie” moment. *barf bag alert* My guess is they’ll start out with Meryl and Charlie dancing but then Maks will cut in and waltz (oh sorry, I meant to say “walk”) into the sunset with her.

This is probably an unpopular sentiment, but I think it’s time both Maks and Derek retired from the ranks of “competing pro”. They’ve both been on so long that (even without help from TPTB) they have too much history and many viewers can’t help making it about them instead of the celebs. It’s “poor Maks has never won” and “Derek’s great, but he’s won too many times.” I understand the pros provide an important element of continuity for the show. However TPTB have been “freshening up” the female pro roster, and the same needs to happen on the men’s side. Of course people would miss Maks and Derek (Tony and Mark), but let’s see if Henry, Sasha, Gleb and/or someone else would catch on. I want Tristan back, but I don’t see that happening. These other guys would at least bring a different vibe. Losing Chelsie, Anna and Kym was tough, but Sharna and Emma have been great additions, Peta has her moments, and I see potential in Witney and Lindsay.

It’s so interesting to see how the judges react to Meryl and Maks, glowing over them as if they had some sort of handicap and went above and beyond all expectations. I guess just like they take into consideration age, experience, and physical ability, they took into consideration that she has Maks as her partner. Gosh I wish I liked his choreography more, this would all feel so much better.

I feel like Maks only came back because he was promised a contender (and potentially a win) but he needs to be done as a pro, he isn’t adding anything new. Derek is amazing but I agree with you about him (maybe we can see him back as a Macy’s choreographer or Opening Number choreographer instead of a competing pro). Tony also is a little over-stretched for me as well. I’d rather see Sasha, Henry, Gleb, Mark, Val, and Tristan as the male pros.

The only thing I would be upset with is if Karina left (because she’s my favorite pro besides Derek) but I’m happy with the female pro switch-up they’ve mad.

Question: Heidi or Courtney, I was surprised and displeased to see Mark forcefully pushing Candace into position during their rehearsal. Is that something he’s done before? I’ve seen him being verbally impatient and occasionally make scathing and unkind remarks to his celeb, but I don’t remember seeing the heavy-handed approach.

Of course, I wasn’t at all surprised TPTB used that footage because they were doing everything they could to undermine Candace last night.

Cidra, I’ve been trying to get Derek off that damn show for three years now. He gets a foot out the door and they reel him back in with someone like Amy. I think he’s done it all now, time to go. Well, Leave him in charge of Macy’s, but not competing. We get the best of both worlds that way.

The fact that one Maks fan above said that Derek and Maks freestyles were comparable, when one has a trained dancer, and the other a snowboarder without legs speaks volumes. Derek did a damned good job molding Amy into a dancer, with an exclamation point no less while Maks showmanced his way from beginning to end with choreography that is fairly standard for his celebrity. Can you only imagine if Derek had the trained dancer instead and Maks the double amputee snowboarder?? Uh, huh.

@ButterflyWhirl – Yep, that’s the OFFICIAL music video. And yes, it looks like two (dorky) siblings (probably relatives of Napoleon Dynamite) practicing their martial arts dance routine in the backyard while grandma watches. Then grandma decides to let her granddaughter borrow her scythe to dance with, the little Jack Russell dog almost gets slashed with it, and then dad brings out burgers for everyone. Makes perfect sense, just like James’ freestyle But I had to chuckle a little bit, because parts of James’ freestyle did look like they were heavily inspired by this video…the part with the staff, the kinda fighting choreography he & Peta had.

The fact that people say that Maks deserves to win just because he hasn’t before is bull… To deserve something is to do what some of the other contestants did on the season that he was not able to give to Meryl.
There were no passion behind his work. Only a passion for winning just to win..
This is not coming from me because I’m a huge Derek fan. I am a huge Derek fan because he sees every season as an opportunity to learn something new. experience something new. To have a journey he can remember..
Where as Maks.. He’s in it to prove he is also worthy of winning. Or just to win. To have his name out there.
Meryl is a great and amazing dancer. But she was not challenged. And you should always push the limit and boundaries to be worthy of peoples votes and realization for the growth you’ve had. And she has had none.
Amy on the other hand. My oh my… What a journey!
Candace too.. Even though she is not the best dancer this season. She has become better and handled tougher choreography every week for her standards..
Oh well.. I just hope in my heart that Amy wins.. And yes. I said AMY wins. NOT Derek..
Most people voting for Meryl and Maks would say they would like to see Maks win rather than say Meryl..

LOL, PH, I should have qualified my “unpopular sentiment” statement to remind people that you’ve been trying to get rid of Derek for years I agree it would be fabulous to have Derek back just overseeing the Macy’s dances.

Cidra, I don’t recall Mark ever acting like that before – it was quite a surprise to me as well. The first time I saw it I guess I was only half paying attention and thought Candace was tired and over dramatic. When I rewatched it later I was displeased with Mark, for sure – that was a Hope Solo moment. But considering how they were moving at the time he did it, I can give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn’t mean to do it that hard. If it keeps happening, then we can talk.

Me thinks I am done with this show if Maks wins. I understand that this is reality TV, however it is no longer entertaining for me. I for one resent the overt manipulations and taking an exceptionally talented performer like Charlie and dismissing him like if her were some upstart dancer auditioning for a part in a high school musical. I am so angry I could spit… I am also disappointed in Meryl’s handling of the situation, Charlie has been her only “marriage” for 17 years, and it is shameful that she didn’t see fit to defend the person that she puts all her trust in to not let her fall when it counts. After this show it will be all good for them I hope. If I were chair of the USFSA, I would ban future skaters from appearing on this show. It does nothing positive for figure skating (yes I’m a mom to a figure skater and I am appalled) and after the treatment of both GOLD MEDALLISTS, one completely and undeservedly trashed and the other pimped for the promotion of another persons ego, this program has lost all credibility. The talent and hard work that these two put into their REAL accolades is unbelievable amazing and above anything those judges have ever accomplished in their respective fields, yes I’ve checked. None of the other (overachieving) athletes from what I can tell so far on this show (and correct me if I am wrong) have been subjected to this kind of treatment. The word ballroom always implies a certain amount of elegance, grace and class… three adjectives I would not use to describe this season of Dancing for Maksim Chmerkovskiy

First let me say that while I’ve been reading this blog for the past few weeks, today is the first time that I have been driven to comment. I do want to say thank you to Courtney? or whomever is responsible for this site and its postings. It takes a lot of time to do this so for that I extend my appreciation. ***edited – keep your comments directed at the show. ~Heidi***

I have watched every season of DWTS. And, I’m probably in the minority on this point from all these posts but the worst seasons for me were the ones where Maks wasn’t on the show. I am pretty much a fan of all the pros – I don’t hate any of them but admittedly I really enjoy Maks and what he brings to the show and when he left, the only saving grace for me was that Val came on. Now I know Maks has a hot headed side but let’s all be real here: this is a show and it is about ratings and those packages play up every little ounce of it they can…….He got tangled in his mic and rips it – I can tell you that when my ear buds get stuck on me during a run and I’m tired and cranky, I can do the same thing……They also play up the crying and the fighting and last night with Mark was no different. When you are spending up to 16 hours a day for 3 months with someone, you can tend to get on each others nerves…..it happens……happens to us all…….I think one of the seasons even Derek had a partner walk out of rehearsals on him. It’s life…..it happens…..we all can’t be even keeled all the time. Maks might just have more of those moments than the rest do…..But guess what? I also really enjoy Derek and Mark and Tony etc. too! I do get tired of Derek always winning but he is incredible and his partnerships that he’s won with have been incredible so even when he did win and wasn’t my favorite for that season, I still was happy for him and his partner. I didn’t pick him apart or say it’s because his star had dance training etc. I think a few times even Derek himself got bored with the show and didn’t feel challenged and that is why you see him reinvigorated the past few seasons when he has had partners that had limitations.

This is one of the first seasons in a very long time that I feel there weren’t any really “bad” dancers (Master P anyone?). I’ve fully enjoyed everyone this season and although surprised about some of the eliminations, I can’t say as though anyone still left standing doesn’t have the right to be there. Having said that, my favorties are Maks and Meryl. I don’t care if they are dating or not – when they dance together, I am thoroughly entertained and moved moreso than any other couple I’ve watched. I love their partnership and their friendship and that really is what it is all about. I would love for them to win. If it’s Amy and Derek, I’ll be happy for them too. Amy has already won so much in my eyes and she deserves 10s every time she gets out there in my book. I’m from New England and all I could think of last night was I hope that Andrea Haslett, the dancer who lost her leg in the Marathon Bombings, is watching Amy and her journey and is realizing that she can do all of that again too. I thought she should’ve gotten all 10s for her freestyle as well. In fact, unless someone “phones” it in, nobody deserves to get less than 9s for their freestyle as it is their choice of what to do and everyone’s effort was there regardless if it’s a style that a judge might not like. Candace deserved better as well. She gave it her all.

Last point: I didn’t feel Maks stole from Derek and Kelli. If that’s the case, then I guess he borrowed from Val and Kelly too. If you thought he did, well imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so Derek should be honored then! When a show has been on this long, we all could look at the dances and see parts of what someone else did. There’s only so many ways to do the required elements. Samba steps are samba steps – but the performance and interpretation is what makes it different. I think belittling Meryl is the saddest part of all of these posts here today. Unless someone knows her personally and speaks from actual knowledge, nobody has the right to accuse her of fixing this or even more ridiculous, fixing the gold medal for the US in the Olympics. Let’s all remember this is a show and these are real people………Have your favorites but don’t belittle the others in the process. There’s enough hate in this world that we shouldn’t have to add to it over a show.

New Lisa – Derek has been on the show for 13 seasons and has won five times. That’s not even close to “always” winning. Second, AGAIN, the discussion was about Maks’ claim that he was doing something new and never done before on DWTS. PERIOD. Clearly, since it was a contemporary dance very similar in costuming and staging to Derek’s contemporary with Kellie, his comment is NOT TRUE. :::sigh:::

To say that Maks has more of those moments than other pros is probably the understatement of the century.

I never would have guessed that your favorites were Meryl and Maks. Shocked.

You lecture other people on how they should respond or how they should react again and I’ll just delete you.

Mark, as far as I can recall, has never been rough with a partner, not even verbally, so shoving Candace into proper QS form was a bit of a shock. We all get testy when we’re exhausted or hurting so I’m hoping that’s all it was. I sure hope he apologized to her profusely and privately.

I think James and Peta’s FS is going to be one of those dances that’s either/or. You either loved it or hated it. Personally I’m in the loved it camp. It was fresh, original and memorable. Some of it reminded me of Capoeira, the Brazilian form of martial arts.

Overall, I was underwhelmed by last night’s episode. I love Meryl but last night was a bit much and I believe her package was heavily doctored by TPTB. I said this in the other post last night but Charlie has said repeatedly that he and Meryl do NOT have a brother/sister relationship yet in that package their “friend” Brooke Castile says they do? International Figure Skating Magazine from earlier this year with Meryl and Charlie on the cover has the comment from him. I’ve seen it on tv interviews too. Notice how Meryl’s mom and dad didn’t mention Maks.

I wish they had kept the same choreography from the switch up week.

I also liked Meryl’s AT with Val much better. I kept waiting for the footwork last night and didn’t see it. The freestyle was ok but nothing spectacular. Instead of using all those Gold Medalists in the package, she should have had them as part of her freestyle, including Charlie. It could have been a tribute to Olympic Figure Skating or something like that. This way it would showcase Meryl instead of the showmance.

I didn’t care for either of James’ dances.

Both of Amy’s dances were great. I did like the new Salsa but I also liked the one she did with Mark. Both were excellent. I was holding my breath when she was spinning in the air–I wonder if they were on a tape delay just in case.

Candace was just great–her attitude trumps anything she does on the dance floor. I felt bad for Mark though–it was clear he was hurting during the shoulder lifts. He kept wincing in pain. Hope he is ok tonight.

Count me in as someone who wants Anna Trebunskaya back. I actually wanted her with Charlie this season. I do wonder if the results would have been different if she had Charlie instead of Sharna. She built up quite the fanbase when she danced with Evan.

Tonight I am not going to watch the whole show since it seems preordained
who is going to win. I’ll just check this site from time to time so I’ll
know when to turn my TV on.

I just would like to thank all the moderators of this site for graciously letting me post and vent from time to time. You all do a great job and I have loved all the posts from the mods and the regular posters here. I wish I had known about this site earlier. Anyway, thank you.

Boy, some people don’t really GET the comment section, do they? Let me help you out – if you are an asshole to people who work on this site or to other posters, you get deleted and/or banned.

If someone says something you don’t agree with, you can disagree with them and say why. *I* get to do that too. If I don’t disagree with something someone says about Meryl (or if I just don’t care) – and they say it within the rules outlined above – I’m free to NOT comment on it. If YOU disagree, you can discuss it with them. But I am not moderating opinions, only when people are acting stupid.

If you don’t like this blog or how it’s being run or how I comment or Courtney comments or ANYONE comments – GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND START YOUR OWN BLOG.

I just got an email blast from Maks’ Dance With Me school about a competition he, Tony and Val are putting on next weekend. It mentioned nothing about the show but pretty interesting timing. Yesterday I got one at 7pm EST asking us to vote to bring the MBT back to Dance With Me. They usually send these out every week during the season. This season, I remember getting one the first couple weeks and then again last night. IMO, emailing Maks’ fanbase like this would have been a more appropriate way to campaign for votes rather than play up a showmance. I’m only on this list because I took 1 seminar with Maks and Tony in 2010 and just never bothered to unsubscribe. It is rather entertaining at times.:)

Also, I forgot to mention before but wouldn’t it be interesting if Candace replaced Erin next season?

Thanks, PH and Susan2 for confirming that Mark pushing Candace into place while in hold in that rehearsal vid was not something we’ve seen from him before. There’s still no excuse for it, but if it’s a one-off event, I’ll give him this one. I hope when he watched it back and actually saw what she was reacting too, he was appalled and apologized to her. Of course, I wonder if he actually “saw” that clip? He might have been getting his brace taken off or psyching himself up to dance through the pain. Oh well, not going to over-analyze. If he saw it, I’m sure he apologized, and hopefully we’ll never see him do something like that again.

I wonder if Meryl and Charlie will dance a sweet V. Waltz. He did not get to learn it, so that would be fun for him to do. And Meryl did it already, so it would make her life somewhat easier. I for one would love to see that from them.

I agree with a lot of what’s been said. This season was all “poor” Maks and how he’s never won, just like it was “poor” Tony during the all star season. Meryl was not showcased at all, she was not given the challenge she deserved and would have been able to handle. The scoring was so obviously manipulated to make sure no one would bump Maks out early. And it’s a shame. I will watch the entire 3 hours tonight because it is the finale, BUT, if (and I’m still hoping a miracle happens and he doesn’t win) Maks wins, that’s when the channel gets changed. I can’t support the win and I don’t want to watch it. I don’t need to see Val and boring old Tony hoisting him in the air and everyone basically breathing a sigh of relief that Maks finally won. It’s a pity trophy, just like Tony’s. And Meryl, just like Melissa, got sucked into it.

@Tony, #6, I agree with you 100%. Just because Maks has never won, doesn’t mean he deserves it. And Meryl has never been in the picture, she’s been an after thought as “the partner that will finally give Maks his win.” Please. The whole “family” needs to grow up, get over themselves, showcase the partner they’re given the best way they can and legitimately earn a win.

It would be so nice if the show just let things fall where they may. I look forward to every season, but I’m getting to the point that when it’s so obvious when the cast is announced who the winner is going to be, I find myself getting detached from the show.

I enjoyed Amy and Meryl almost equally last night and I’m fine with either of them winning. What will annoy me is when Meryl’s win turns into needy Maks’ win. Poor Meryl has seemed like a means to an end all season. I actually do see chemistry between Meryl and Maks when they dance (not the shipper kind), but they do have a good connection for me and that adds to my enjoyment of their dancing. I will admit, however, when I think about their season as a whole, I remember the same thing almost every week. Slow walks and longing looks with almost kisses. Maybe that’s unfair but it’s what I remember. I remember more of a variety from Amy and I feel like I got to know Amy more than Meryl through their dancing.

What really annoys me is the producer pimping of Meryl and Maks and it turns me off of them. When I don’t want them to win, it’s because I don’t want the show to succeed in their manipulation. This whole season’s tabloid feel has turned me off. I don’t want to hear about kisses and making DWTS babies and couples needing to get married. I guess the show sees people going crazy with the idea of hook ups and has embraced it, but I wish they would stop. If people in the privacy of their own home want to think a couple is finding true love, fine but don’t try to sell it as the reason I should be interested in a couple. Also please cut out the “he’s never won and he deserves it” logic. Just thinking about it makes me want to rant about American culture, lol.

I’ll be shocked if Meryl doesn’t win. Honestly the only thing I think could kill her chances is if there is a “ringer” backlash, but the show seems to have killed that idea by showing Charlie as struggling. Maybe Mark, Derek, Peta and few other pros should have talked that up, although I can’t imagine any pro on the show ever doing that, haha.

On a completely unrelated topic, may I please end by saying the thing that annoyed me the most about last night was the show making Mark wear that stupid sling at the beginning of the show. WTH was that all about? You know that wasn’t his idea and obviously wasn’t necessary (except for visual drama). The show must think we are really dumb.

Rewatched Meryl’s AT — it *was* a stunning and beautiful dance, and appeared to me to be perfect — but it *wasn’t* an Argentine Tengo. It had none of the sharp leg action it should, and far too many lifts (didn’t Carrie Ann say that about Donald Driver’s AT when she was instructing them for the judges’ pick?) This should, IMO, have warranted 10s from Carrie Ann and Bruno and an 8 from Len. I wish this whole season had played out around the time season 10 was airing — we might just have seen some fair results.

James & Peta: Not gonna lie that I was very bummed to see these two go last night. My heart kinda sank a little but then I was fine because they made it to the finals and that’s all I ever hoped for. Their Tango was amazing (I was surprised they didn’t call them out on the breaking of the hold but I guess it’s the “finale effect”). The intensity of the dance was incredible. The first time I watched it I thought I saw a little stumble there but after watching it again it looked seamless to me. Don’t know what CAI meant by him being too “uptight”. It’s a Tango woman! Anyways, I give the Tango a 10. Then the Freestyle that blew me away because it was everything I hoped it would be. So much energy, so much attack. They went for it and did not hold back. I definitely have never seen a Freestyle like this before and I loved it. A 10 from me. Again, very sad that they didn’t at least get third place but very happy they made it to the Finals.

Meryl & Maks: I can’t be the only one who thinks that her first Argentine Tango was miles better than this one. Ok, maybe not better in terms of dancing technique, but in terms of choreography (surprise surprise). I do get that the song this time around was VERY different but it still didn’t feel as passionate as the one she did with Val. I ship Meryl & Val harder than Meryl & Maks LOL (don’t judge me). Anyways, the dance was good so I’d give it a 9.5. Then their Freestyle… Such a deja vu moment because I know I have seen something like this before but can’t put my finger on it… *eye roll* Actually, I don’t know which one is worse: the fact that Maks pretty much copied Derek’s Season 16 freestyle or the fact that Maks choreographed something that was basically a repeat of their Rumba but with lifts. I did like the emotion of it though because it did at least feel genuine but I wish it had been more original. 9.5 from me.

Candace & Mark: While I do think that they should have gone home last night instead of James, I can totally see why she is pulling in the votes. She is just so darn likeable. I gotta hand it to Mark for being such a good sport last night. You can tell he was in pain but the guy pushed through. I couldn’t helped but to “AWWWWW” very hard when he said “the only way you can keep me form dancing with Candace is to cut my arm off”. Is Mark single at the moment, because… ladies.. he has a way with words. But anyways, back to Candace.. her QS was very pretty though it was still a bit funky in the frame and footwork as her ballroom dances have been in the past. She improved from her last one so I give her props for that. A 9 from me too! Her freestyle… OK so it wasn’t “amazing” but I’ll be damned if I don’t think that deserved at least all 9s and the judges know it. The look on her daughter’s face was a replica of mine. I was shocked but at the same time not really because these judges are morons. I liked the concept of it, though I actually think Mark has choreographed BETTER freestyles before, but it fit Candace very well. She just needed a bit more “swagger”. I give it a 9 though. Again I say, in my eyes she should have gone home last night, but she has improved a lot during the weeks so.. good for you Candace! And Mark… please come back next season with the same attitude that you approached this one

Amy & Derek: I literally think I have run out of things to say about these two except just: WOW. It is the only thing that I can say about her dances every week. Just when I think she can’t do any better she comes out and does such an explosive Salsa. It was hot, sexy… loved the lifts and everything about it was just fabulous.. 10 from me! And then their Freestyle that just took my breath away. Derek is the master of freestyles and no one can come close to what he did with Amy last night. That was dancing of the highest quality and I loved every second of it. I give it a freaking 11 even if that isn’t a real paddle. Oh and Len, you’re on crack. And Maks, take notes because this is how you do an ORIGINAL freestyle that moves the public. I have a strong feeling these two won’t win tonight, but screw the MBT they won the hearts of millions of people and like a lot of people say, years from now everone will remember this season because of Amy Purdy for doing what she has done — defying the odds and showing everyone that you can do anything as long as you put your heart into it like she has. The way I see it is, years from now someone will ask: “Has Maks ever won a Mirrorball trophy?” and the answer will be: “Yeah he won it back in that season with Amy Purdy — the girl with no legs that danced better than most of the contestants of the show” .. at least that’s how I hope it would go, lol.

I also have to say that this is the first season where I have been the most active on this site and I would like to thank all those who have made feel welcomed. To all the mods who run this site, you have all done an amazing job this season and I look forward to visiting this site during the summer (while I’m tanning at the beach or something) and once again during season 19

I always wonder when those of you comment about wanting Derek to leave the show, where do you think you will see him if he does? I know he can do other things and is doing other things but where will he be able to create several new dances each week with all his ideas and then where will he perform them? Or do you not miss seeing him actually perform the dances? I’ve been seeing that a lot lately, choreo, choreo, choreo but holy cow, what a loss for him and audiences if he doesn’t continue to entertain with his dance performing abilities! I love his choreography a lot but I LOVE to watch him dance. It always amazes me/makes me feel good, and if you look around a room when he dances, everyone is smiling.

He likes to perform live and he does have this tour but that doesn’t mean that will ever happen again either. I was just wondering, thoughts, because I go into major withdrawal when dwt is on hiatus.

Rooting for Amy/Derek at this point! Of the stars left, she’s the only one that TRULY deserves the MBT (100% my own opinion). She has worked hard the entire season and not relied on a fan base from 20 years ago nor 20 years of BALLROOM dance training. Meryl did an interview with Fitness Magazine in 2012 where she said that ice dancing is basically ballroom dancing, yet she has said over and over this season how this is something “unlike anything she has ever done before.” Yes, Amy has used the “no legs” storyline each week, but the fact that she is dancing better than anyone with two legs is a huge accomplishment in itself.

The one thing that this season has shown is that Derek is effing amazing. His choreography, what he has been able to achieve with Amy, should yield him another Emmy. I hate to jump on that bandwagon of “I’ll never watch this show again if…” but I think I’ll have to switch over to watching the Voice on Monday nights if Candace beats out another amazing dancer…Danica, Charlies, James…when will it stop!?

Also, someone mentioned it above, but the freestyle from last night with the most #Encore votes will perform again tonight (including James). From # tracking, James will be performing. He had 100,000+ more votes than Meryl…and Candace & Amy had less than 25% the votes that James received.

Carrie Ann’s blog is up. Even the producers on this show couldn’t make this one happen, from the title to the once-again condescending attitude towards Charlie to her nonsensical critiques: “Whatever power you believe in, it was evidenced by that performance… within that moment, a lifetime of emotions and dreams happen. That is what it felt like to watch their incredible freestyle.” Sooo… what emotions? Because all I saw was Meryl’s standard “delicate angst” face and Maks’s usual “tough guy” expression.

First thank you to the mods. I don’t always agree with what you say but it’s your site and your rules I used to really like Maks (especially with Kristie the first time) but I think he is over dwts and it shows. A couple of seasons ago I remember him saying his contract with the show went til 2015. Please make it sooner for your sanity. This is the first season I haven’t watched the packages and just watched some of the pros and celebs. It makes me sad. Hopefully things will change with new leadership and this goes back to being a fun show. I’m for Candace or Amy – what the show used to be hopefully it will be again.

I just rewatched Derek’s freestyle from season 16. It is a breathtaking dance and one that has so much more of a range of emotions in it. I think that is what someone has said about the beginning, middle and end of the dance as having a narrative almost. In any event, I don’t think I can stomach tonight. Hoping that Maks doesn’t win and I am not normally a negative person. This whole manipulation has just made me feel so jaded about what was a fun show.

I would love to see Meryl win; I’m a huge figure skating fan; but I would have loved to have seen what another pro (especially Derek) would have been able to do with her.

As far as the freestyles go, I thought they suited the personalities of the celebrities nicely. However, with the exception of the part in Amy’s freestyle where she is hanging onto the rope, I didn’t see anything special or earth shattering like I have in the past 3 seasons (especially in regards to Meryl). I mean, if Kellie (who has never danced before) can accomplish what she did, than you’d think that Meryl would have the physical strength and ability to do something truly amazing.

#125 PH I agree he has potential to be HUGE but I wasn’t being flip or argumentative I really was asking seriously, he has millions of ideas obviously, he is ALWAYS introducing new things trying new things. And for that to be static it almost has to have some live aspect to it. So how or where do you think he could do that. Do you think he has a way to keep himself in the public eye and in demand if he isn’t performing on a weekly TV show or something? I mean the media only covers the sensationalism, short little sound bytes of crap and real talent just gets ignored. He is doing a really good job now of capitalizing on all his achievements and role in dancing and when interviewed promoting himself but most of that is generated by his “fame” from DWTS at least for most of the world, don’t you think?

I think, Raine, that until he leaves DWTS he can’t truly go on to bigger and better things. Wanting to see him every week is really about his fans, not about him. He has a ton of stuff going on – the tour with Julianne, he’s started in a movie, he wrote part of the sound track for the movie, he’s working with Nappytabs for the TV Academy of Arts and Sciences, Blackpool (TV show exec producing with Julianne) is still out there, he directed Mark’s music video, he has a book coming out later this summer…and that’s just the stuff we know about!! He said that if the right part came along, he would do another movie – he said he’s being very selective about it. If he can do all that while being on DWTS, what makes you think that he wouldn’t explode with opportunities when he’s done with the show? He’s already shown that he’ll try anything and likely be successful at it – hell, maybe he’ll get a sitcom next. I think the sky’s the limit with him. I do think that fans have to prepare themselves for the idea that he might just take the road where he’s not as visible. He seems to be really into the whole choreographer/director role.

As much as some fans like to believe he can do it all (and he seems to believe it too), he really can’t. He’s managed thus far, but I don’t think it can continue.